A new hangover prevention pill has been made available in the UK, but medical experts are sceptical.
Myrkl, the makers of the supplement, claim it will leave drinkers feeling fresh after a night out. It works by quickly breaking down alcohol in the gut before it gets to the liver, and works for up to 12 hours. – the pill continues to break booze down for up to 12 hours.
An hour before drinking, one pill must be taken in order to avoid a hangover according to Myrkl. The Swedish company sells packets containing 30 pills for £30 on their website.
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However, there has been backlash to the pill among experts, with some claiming that it will lead to a potential rise in binge drinking. One of these experts is founder and chief executive at private rehab clinic Delamere Martin Preston.
He said: “This pill is a scientific breakthrough, however it could also result in people abusing this pill as an excuse to binge-drink without suffering the consequences the morning after.
“The main reason we get hangovers is the ethanol found in alcohol, which is broken down in the liver and causes dehydration, and can lead to the dizziness, headaches and thirst we associate with the morning after a heavy night out. Nobody likes this feeling, but it’s your body reaction to consuming more alcohol than it can handle.
“The fact this pill is now extremely accessible means we could easily see a rise in binge drinking with people using this pill as an excuse to consume more, which could be extremely damaging for people’s health and wellbeing. For example, using this pill as an excuse to drink more could lead to problems such as insomnia which can lead to exhaustion and fatigue which will lower your quality of life day to day."
Preston continued: "In more serious cases, it could lead to liver disease or even brain damage as it can damage your brain's frontal lobe, this area of the brain is responsible for emotional control, short-term memory, and judgement, in addition to other vital roles. The fact is, this pill isn’t designed for binge drinking. If you take it and binge drink, you will get drunk much slower and spend a lot more money.
"The pill is designed for moderate drinkers who might go for a few drinks and not want to feel it at work the next day for example. However, this could lead to an increase in alcohol consumption throughout the week and lead to moderate drinkers consuming a lot more often."
He added: “Finally, one of the worst things that this pill could result in is causing alcoholism. People might use this pill to disguise symptoms of alcoholism and avoid getting help before their addiction becomes fatal.
"Alongside this, alcoholism could become more widespread as the body will start to adapt to drinking in larger volumes due to regular use of the pill. Drinkers without a hangover the next day might also be encouraged to drink yet again that day which could eventually lead to alcoholism.”
Likewise, a doctor who appeared on This Morning on Tuesday was sceptical of the "miracle" pill. Speaking with hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, Dr Philippa Kaye revealed that she was unconvinced by Myrkl's results.
She said: "The research that is done by the people who manufacture something is not quite the same of external peer review and the numbers were small.
"Hangovers are complicated so it's not just about the alcohol but how long the alcohol stays in your system and how it's broken down and the impact on your stomach, brain and all kinds of things. If you wanted to get drunk then you're not going to take something which decreases the level of alcohol in your blood quicker. You're going to have to spend more more money and drink more to get drunk.
"If you're somebody who likes the taste of alcohol then potentially it could be useful, but we need a lot more research before we could say that."
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